The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a beamforming microphone considering the location of a driver seat, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a beamforming microphone considering the location of a driver seat, which controls a beamforming microphone used in a hands free system for a vehicle such that the directivity of the beamforming microphone traces the location of the driver seat.
A hands free system for a vehicle collects the voice of a driver through a microphone installed in the vehicle and transmits the collected voice to a phone line such that the driver can talk on the phone even while driving the vehicle.
Inside the vehicle, however, unnecessary sounds, such as engine sound or audio sound, as well as the voice of the driver may be transmitted to the hands free system. Thus, a beamforming microphone capable of minimizing the influence of surrounding noise or interfering sound using multiple microphones may be used as the microphone which is employed in the hands free system and installed inside the vehicle. Such a beamforming microphone may be applied to a hands free system or voice recognition system for a vehicle. In the interior space of a vehicle, two microphones are typically used to collect voice.
The related art is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 1996-0024488 published on Apr. 6, 1999 and entitled “Hands free device of vehicle phone”.